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A balanced, nutrient-dense breakfast is important for several reasons, including reducing your risk of disease. We’re not about to tell you that one specific “superfood” will zap your chances of ever developing cancer, because that’s not true. But what you eat can be a powerful tool for supporting your overall health in ways that may impact your cancer risk, such as by reducing inflammation. 

Curious about what an oncologist eats for breakfast every day to bolster their defenses against cancer? We reached out to Tingting Tan, M.D., medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope in Newport Beach, California. She recommends starting your day with a breakfast loaded with whole grains, fruit and nuts, which have been associated with a lower incidence of various types of cancer. You have a lot of options here, and our Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal definitely fits the bill.  

Keep reading to learn more about this oncologist-approved breakfast—and get more tips for how your diet might lower your risk of cancer.

How This Breakfast Might Help with Cancer Prevention

Genetics, age and family history play a clear role in cancer risk, but lifestyle habits—like your food choices—can also have an impact. 

“Diet is an important factor in cancer prevention, and it is a factor that we can control, unlike our family history,” Tan says. “The mechanisms involved in how these foods prevent cancer or lower a person’s risk of cancer are complex.”

The relationship between diet and cancer is undoubtedly a bit complicated, but researchers have identified a diet low in nutrient-dense foods (which includes things like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts) as a risk factor for developing cancer.

While there’s no single food that can prevent cancer, foods like fruits, nuts and whole grains are packed with nutrients that may have cancer-protective effects, reducing the risk of cell damage.

“In addition to eating a healthy diet, it is also important to keep your weight in a healthy range and to be physically active,” Tan says.

Here’s why Tan is such a big fan of oatmeal with nuts and berries for breakfast. 

Whole Grains

“Whole grains like oats are considered cancer-fighting foods as they contain phytoestrogens, antioxidants and fiber, all of which can help reduce your risk of cancer,” Tan says.

Oats also contain a decent amount of fiber, which may be beneficial for colorectal health. Some research shows that higher fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.

“One reason might be that it supports a healthy gut microbiome, which can aid in cancer prevention,” Tan says. For example, a 2021 systematic review in the Journal of Nutrition identified a link between oat consumption and an increase in beneficial gut bacteria.

Just a half cup of whole-grain rolled oats contains about 5 grams of fiber, and our Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal recipe contains 6 grams of fiber per serving. That’s around 21% of the Daily Value for fiber.

Berries

“Foods with phytochemicals, which are compounds found in vegetables, fruit, beans and nuts, may slow cancer cell growth,” Tan says.

Blueberries are rich in a type of phytochemical called anthocyanin, which helps give the fruit its deep blue color and may reduce inflammation and free radicals. Plus, research has shown that berries may be associated with a lower risk of cancer.

“Components in berries also have been shown to reduce the growth of precancerous cells,” Tan says. This makes these antioxidant powerhouses a go-to oatmeal topping, especially given that you can rinse a handful of berries and toss them on top of your oatmeal in less time than it would take to watch a TikTok video. Plus, they’re absolutely delicious. 

Nuts

Aside from adding a nice, crunchy texture to the mix, nuts like pecans or almonds help round out this quick and easy breakfast by offering healthy fats, fiber and plant-based protein.

More comprehensive studies are needed, but findings from a 2021 review suggested that eating more nuts may be associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer and lower cancer mortality. Almonds, pecans and many other nuts contain naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols, which may improve gut health. A 2018 randomized controlled trial, for example, found that walnuts may increase the amount of good bacteria in the gut microbiome.

Nuts are also anti-inflammatory, “and we know that inflammation is associated with developing cancer,” Tan says. Some research has found a strong connection between cancer and chronic inflammation. To top it all off, nuts provide antioxidant-rich compounds like vitamin E, which may help protect the body from cell damage over time.

Other Breakfast Options To Reduce Cancer Risk

Looking for some more breakfast ideas that could reduce inflammation, improve gut health and support your overall health? Here are three more recipes to try:

• Old-Fashioned Oatmeal: The options are endless with oats, and this recipe encourages you to get creative with your favorite toppings—like nut butter, crushed almonds, berries, spices or even yogurt. Like other oat dishes, this one is packed with essential nutrients, including plant-based protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. And it could easily tick all the boxes in our oncologist-approved breakfast recommendations: whole grains, nuts and berries.
• Quinoa & Chia Oatmeal Mix: This hot cereal levels up your standard bowl of oats with the addition of nutrient-dense whole grains like quinoa and rolled wheat or barley. Plus, chia seeds for an extra boost of protein, fiber and antioxidants, such as omega-3 fatty acids. One serving provides 6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Consider topping it with Greek yogurt for additional protein.
• Overnight Matcha Oats with Berries: This recipe features whole-grain old-fashioned oats, antioxidant-rich berries and polyphenol-packed sliced almonds, among other nutrient-dense ingredients like chia seeds and matcha. It’s filling to boot, with 27 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per serving. Plus, you can make it the night before to eliminate some of the morning rush chaos. 

Our Expert Take

For an oncologist-approved breakfast, consider a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and berries. It’s loaded with fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals and other nutrients that may reduce cancer risk. And it’s tasty enough that you’ll probably want to have it on a regular basis. No breakfast food guarantees protection against cancer, but this nutrient-rich meal may give your overall health a boost in a way that could protect it against some types of cancer. 

Chinese scientists say they have uncovered how the H5N1 virus initially invades the mammary glands of dairy cattle, potentially triggering last year’s outbreak of bird flu across more than 1,000 dairy farms in the United States.

The study, published recently in the journal National Science Review, was conducted by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Heilongjiang province. Researchers found that tissues in the mouths of cattle support H5N1 virus binding and replication, allowing the virus to spread to the mammary glands during suckling.

Chen Hualan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a chief scientist at the institute, and her team also confirmed that vaccination provides full protection against the virus in dairy cows. The study suggests that targeted control of milk-stealing behavior and immunization could help curb H5N1 outbreaks among cattle.

Highly pathogenic bird flu subtype H5N1 is a major zoonotic disease, transmissible from animals to humans under natural conditions. Since 2021, a new strain has caused tens of thousands of outbreaks among poultry and wild birds worldwide.

In March last year, the virus began infecting dairy cows in the US. As of June 7 this year, infections have been reported on more than 1,070 dairy farms across 17 states, with cow-to-cow transmission suspected during milking, according to the study.

The outbreaks have resulted in a cow mortality rate of up to 10 percent and infected at least 41 farmworkers, raising concerns about dairy production and public health.

Previous research found that H5N1 can damage cows’ mammary glands and contaminate milk, with about one-fourth of retail milk samples in the US testing positive for the virus. However, it was unclear how the virus initially entered the mammary glands, and no effective control measures were available.

The new findings shed light on the virus’ transmission routes in cattle, Chen said. The study revealed that cows’ oral tissues are rich in sialic acid receptors, which are key binding sites for H5N1, making cattle vulnerable to infection through contaminated feed and water. The virus can replicate and remain in the mouth for several days. Behaviors such as self-suckling and cross-suckling from other cows can enable oral-to-udder transmission of the virus, the study found.

Vaccination has been central to controlling highly pathogenic bird flu in China since 2004, with anti-genically well-matched vaccines providing complete protection in poultry. Applying this approach to cattle could be an effective and economical way to halt H5N1 transmission and reduce its threat to public health, Chen said.

“We found that either an inactivated H5 vaccine or a hemagglutinin-based DNA vaccine could induce sterilizing immunity in cows against challenges from multiple H5N1 virus strains,” she said.

Inactivated and DNA vaccines could prevent both naturally occurring H5N1 infections in cattle and mammary gland infections caused by high-dose virus exposure during milking, Chen said.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn

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